Venison Sausage Bean Casserole: A hearty, comforting recipe for venison sausages in a rich red wine gravy that only takes 20 minutes to cook.
Hey, look – a new recipe! And a super hearty, homely one that’s perfect for cold winter evenings when you want something simple but comforting.
For some reason it’s taken me f-o-r-e-v-e-r to actually write this post up. I’ve had the recipe itself made, tested and photographed for weeks now but the words just would not come. I think I’ve forgotten how to do this blogging thing!
Anyway, I might be struggling to find the words to do this venison sausage & bean casserole justice, so you’ll just have to trust me that it’s really good!
After a month of festive indulging (yes, I know, that was ages ago now but let’s just go with it…) this is exactly the kind of dish I love. Comfort food with a bit of oomph, that’s somehow still pretty nourishing and won’t leave you in the kind of post-cheeseboard slump that becomes all too familiar towards the end of the year.
There’s also a kind of childish nostalgia that comes with this: sausage & beans but more grown up. Nothing like a bit of red wine to instantly gussy up a simple dish, eh?
If you’ve never tried venison before then this is the perfect introduction. Venison has a slightly stronger flavour than pork but is more mellow than other types of game. In this recipe the combination of venison, beans and a rich, meaty red wine gravy works so well.
The best part about this sausage casserole recipe is that it’s SO low maintenance. You only need to chop two vegetables and open a pack of sausages and a can of beans. Then it’s all cooked in one pan, on the hob (which maybe means it’s not *technically* a casserole, but shh).
Venison Sausage & Bean Casserole Recipe Tips
There’s actually so little to do here that I don’t have many tips, other than various substitutions:
- Venison sausages are amazing and you should totally use them. I like Highland Game or Tesco’s own version, but check with your local butcher too. But, if you prefer, regular pork sausages work just as well.
- I’ve specified haricot beans but if you’ve got a tin of chickpeas or kidney beans languishing at the back of your cupboard, use them instead!
- Try extra stock and a splash of vinegar in place of the red wine if you
want to save it all for drinkingdon’t have any
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 6 venison sausages
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 150ml red wine
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 beef stock pot/cube
- 100ml hot water
- 2 tbs tomato puree
- 1 tin (240g drained) haricot beans
Instructions
- In a large pan, heat the oil then add the sausages, onion and carrot. Fry over a medium heat for about 5 minutes, turning the sausages to brown on each side. Add the garlic, thyme, rosemary and oregano and stir.
- Add the red wine, bay leaf, hot water and beef stock cube and simmer gently for 5-10 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato puree and beans. Cook for a further 2-3 minutes until the beans are warmed through and the carrots are cooked, then serve.
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